Box-blank machine.



mmm

H. BROWN.

BOX BLANK MACHINE. APPLIcATloN FILED Qcns. 1913.

Eaten May 18, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H. BROWN.

BOX BLANK MACHINE.

APPLICATIGN FILED ocT.6.1913.

lQM-@ Patented May 135 i915.

' Y 4 SHEETS-SHEE 2.

Il Ill j m. @f2/...

H. BROWN.

BOX BLANK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 6. 1913.

191.4@929'70 Patented May 189 MM5.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ATTORI/Ey H. BROWN.

BOX BLANK MACHNE. APPLICATION man ocr. 6. 191s.

Patented May 18, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

an erstens retentir carriere.

HUGH BROWN, F BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 THE GREENSTREET FOLD-ING BOX MACHINE COMPANY, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDEANA, E. CORPORATION 0FBOX-BLANK MACl-INE.

l Specification of Letters Fatent.

Patented May i8., i915?.

Application led Uctober 6, 1913. Serial No. 793,786.

Ta @ZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, HUGH BROWN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Battle Creek, in the county of Calhounand State of Michigan, have invented a new and nsetul B0X-Blank Machine,of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to produce a machine by means of which boXblanks, cemprising one or more series of cordinatable cleats andassociated sheet material may be assembled into a box blank.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention; Fig. 1 being a sideelevation of a machine embodying the same; F ig, 2 a horizontal sectionimmediately above the work table on line 2-2 of Fig. 3; .Fig 3 verticalsection on line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. i a fragmentary section through oneof the feed-chain-carrying shafts; Fig. 5 a diagram o a portion of thefeed-chains and associated cleats; Fig. 6 a transverse frag .mentarysection of the feed-chains, associated cleat and sheet guides, and acleat i and sheet; Fig. i a fragmentary section on iine 7 3? of Fig. 2;and Fig. 8 a fragmentary section on line 8 8 of Fig. 1.

1n the drawings, 10 indicates a main rame carrying an anvil bar 11,ani/'ils 12, stapling mechanism 13, a shaft 14, eccentrics i5, eccentricstrap 16, and pitman 17 connecting the eccentric shafts 16 with thereciprocating portion 13 of the stapling mechanism. Leading to theanvils 12 are cleat guides 21, 21 through which cleats 22 are deliveredto the anvils and projected through the stapling plane.

rFlins far the parts are ci? airy 'torni and the drawing is intended t iJ. these parts merely in a typicai manner ev well. k roy-rn and commoniynew "cialiy in use machines fer proA soir run so, 2?--2 eted .cross 2e,25', and 27, respectively, the cross bars 26, and 27 extending bver theintermediate chains without interfering with the movement of the same,although no cross bar can pass beneath any other cross bar so aste alterthe proper sequence of the bars. The outer two chains 27#27 are con- Inthe present drawings, l have shown the several pairs of chains connectedeach with a single cross bar and in most instancessuch an arrangement ispreferable although it will be readily understood that each pair ofchains may be provided with several cross bars so that there will be twoor more series of the same. rihe cross bars 24, 25@ 26", and 27 arecarried by blocks 28 one of each pair of which carries an upwardlyprojecting sheet gage finger 29 which serves to properly space the sheetsections of the blank, and the cross bars are of suchthickness as toproperly space the cleats in endto-end relation, as clearly indicated inFigs. 2, 3, and 5. lf a single feed-chain were used instead of a pair,the overhanging of the cleat-,engaging bars would result in a bucklingof the feed-chains which is most readily the machine they are supportedupon idlers 31. Beyond the stapling plane chains 21-2d are carried bygears 32 keyed to shaft 33; chains 25-25 are carried by gears 3i, keyedto shaft 35; chains 2(526 are car- "by gears 3G, keyed to shaft 37; and27-2? are carried by gears 38, keyed te shaft 33, 35, 37, and 39 areparallel with .each other and it will be readily linde teod that it isnot material which shaft drives any particular pair of chains. dournaledupon each sha'jt 33, 35, 37, and 39, adjacent the gears which are to it,are idler gears f1.1 which sup* port the chains which are positivelydriven by the other shafts so that each pair of chains is controlled itsmovement by a single shaft. y

Each shaft 33, and 39 is under the control of a step-bj/step orintermittently active driving mechanism 42, and a continuonsly active,conveniently friction, drivingmechanism Each friction driving mechanismcomprises a gear, or sprncret, e4 giournaled'on ried f which may beengaged by a clutch memberv the gears is a chain 54 which may be carriedover either one of a pair of gears 55, 56, keyedl to a counter-shaft 57.Shaft 57 also carries a gear 58 which is connected by a chain 59 With agear 61 journaled on the drivel shaft 51 and provided with a clutchmember 62 63 splined upon the' shaft 51 and controlled through link 64,lever 65, and link 66, by a foot lever 67. The arrangement is such that,by shifting chain 54 to the proper gear 55, or 56, the friction drivenspeed of the feed-chains may be varied. It should be understood that anyyieldingdriving mechanism may be substituted for the frictiondrivingmechanism shown.

The ratchet driving mechanism for eachA shaft 33, 35, 37, and 39comprises a ratchet wheel 71, a pawl-carrying leverV 72, and a pawl 7 3engaging the ratchet, and the several paul-carrying levers are soproportioned and connected by the llinks 74 that simultaneousreciprocation of the paWl-car--.

rying levers will produce simultaneous and uniform advancement of theseveral shafts 33, 35, 37, and 39. ln order to obtain this ratchetadvancement of the several feedvchain-carrying shafts, I connect a lever75 to a link 75', attached to one of the pawl levers 72, said lever 75having a slot 7G which receives the fulcrum 77'. The lever is swung'bymeans of a pitman 78 operated by an eccentric 7S on shaft 14 and thispitman may be connected at number of points to the lever 75, as shown inFig. l. l

It is desirable at times to temporarily prevent the vratchet drivenmovement of the feed-chains and it is for that reason that the slot 76is provided, a link 7) being pivoted to lever 7 5 and to an arm80,'carried by a rock shaft 81 provided with a hand lever 82, thearrangement being such that by shifting the lever 7 5 to the left'(Fig. 1) its effect o n the pawl levers may be so diminished as t'oproduce no advancement of -the ratchet wheels. It will be readilyunderstood that any desired form of 4intermittently-active advancingmeans may be substituted for that vwhich has been described.

The pawls 7 il are conveniently formed to co-act with springs 7 3 insuch manner that y they may be held in active o'r inactive position sothat, When ini-nactive position, the adj acnt shaft may be-freely turnedby hand `bar 25 brought up passes beyond the any one of aV providingoperative to place orally toward and from in order to bring the crossbar of the feedchains controlled by that shaft, into any.

desired position. y V

In operation, the rear cross bar 27 will be brought to a position justin advance of the stapling plane and the proper cleat inserted in thecleat guide behind it. Bar 24 will then be brought up behind that cleat,a second cleat inserted behindfbar 24;

behind the second ci t a third cleat inserted; bar 26 -behind the thirdcleat, and a fourth cleat the bar '-2,6'. Thereupon laid upon the firstcleat, the the staples driven in inserted behind sheet material ismachine is started, and the ordinary manner. 1n this condition of partsthe friction driving mechanisms, which are being advanced at a speedexceeding the speed of the ratchet driving mechanisms, will be incapableof advancing any of the chains whose cross bars lie behind cleats whoseforward movement is sisted but the vadvancement of these feedchainsandthe cleats and sheets Will be due solely to the ratchet drivingmechanisms and willtl'ierefore be synchronous, positive and step-by-stepin coordination with the stamaterially repling mechanism,v but chain 27,whose crossv barl lies in l will be free to be driven forwardlycontinuously at a somewhat high speed so as to be brought up behind thefourth cleat and serve ,toA keep this fourth cleat up against the crossbar of chain 26. Shortly after the appearance lof the cross bar 27 atthe receiving end of the cleat guide the cleat-providing operative willplace a cleat in the cleat guide behind the cross bar 27 and,

' as the blank material is fed through the machine and the rear end ofthe'first cleat gears on shaft 33, the cross bar 24 will space betweenthe first and second cleats, as clearly indicated in friction drivingmechanism on shaft 33 Will lserve to rapidly advance chain 24 and bringits cross bar 24 up behind the first cleat of the next blank. above,that it is only necessary for the cleata proper' cleat in the cleatguide between the cross bars of each two feed chains, and that it is notnee.- essary for him to pay any further attention to the cleats soplaced. By this arrangement, the feed chains are acted upon by theratchet feeding mechanism to positively drive theblank material throughthe machine for the stapling action and the friction driving mechanismoperates to 125 advance the chains through theirnactive portions ofnecessary travel. y

Asis customary in machines of this type, one of the cleat guides 21is'adjustable latthe other cleat guide and for this purpose I providethe usual front of the foremost cleat,l

be drawn outfrom the.

lig. 3, whereupon thev It will be seen from thel Vist screw threadedadjusting Shafts 90, 90 connected by a sprocket chain 91. Some of thesescrew threaded shafts engage suitable nuts 92 carried by the cleatguide, and others engage nuts in a bracket or plate 93 whichv connectsthe several groups of sprocket Wheels associated with the chains of thatcleat guide. In order to permit this lateral movement of the groups ofsprocket Wheels each of the shafts 33, 35, 37, a'nd 39 has splined uponit a sleeve 94 upon Which the appropriate sprocket `Wheels will be keyedand the remainder journaled, as indicated in the center of Fig. i andthese sleeves 94 are journaled in thel bracket 93 but connected so as topartake in its lateral movement.

l claim as my invention l. The combination ofv material-guiding means,means for operating upon the material, a plurality of independentlymovable material-feeding members traversing to the same eXtent theguiding means, and two driving mechanisms for each material-feedingmember, one of said driving mechanisms operating through the feedingmembers to drive the material in the guiding means, and the other ofsaid driving mechanisms operating to move the feeding member through aportion of its path of travel.

2. The combination of material-guiding means, means for operating on thematerial, a plurality of feed-chains each carrying a member traversingthe material-guiding means, and a plurality of driving couples, onecouple for each feed-chain, one member of each driving couple comprisingintermittently operating driving mechanism operating to drive itsfeed-chain and material engaged thereby intermittently through theguiding means, and the other member of each couple comprising yieldingdriving mechanism capable of driving its feed-chain when suticientlyvunopposed.

3. n a box blank machine, the combination of stapling mechanism, a cleatguide leading thereto, and a plurality of feed. chains each having aportion traversing the cleat guide, a plurality of driving couples forthe said feed-chains, each couple comprising driving mechanism operatingupon its feed-chain to drive the same positively step-by-step, and theother member of each driving couple comprising yielding driving meansacting upon its feed-chain to advance the same when suiiicientlyunopposed at an average speed greater than the speed of the step-by-stepdriving mechanism, and means for synchronizing tWo or more of thestepby-step driving means.

,4. In a box blank machine, the combination of a stapling mechanism, acleat guide leading thereto, a plurality of independently movingfeed-chains each having a portion traversing the cleat guide to the sameextent, ratchet mechanism operating at times upon the feed-chainsftopositively advance the same step-by-step, and other yielding drivingmeans operating upon the feedchains to drive the same when sufficientlyunopposed at an average speed greater than that obtained by thestep-by-step driving means.

5. In a box blank-machine, the combination of stapling mechanism, cleatguides leading thereto, a pluralityy of feed-chains each having aportion traversing the cleat guide, a plurality of driving shafts eachsupporting and controlling one of the feedchains, ratchet drivingmechanism operating upon each drive shaft to advance the samestep-by-step, and friction driving lmeans operating upon each driveshaft to advance the same when sufiiciently unopposed at an averagespeed greater than the speed of the ratchet mechanism.

6. In a box blank machine, the combination of stapling mechanism, `acleat guide leading thereto, a plurality of independent ,movablematerial-feeding members traversing the cleat guide, each arranged todrive material therethrough, and two driving mechanisms for eachmaterial-feeding menu ber, one of said driving mechanisms operatingthrough the feeding members to drive the material at one speed, and theother of said driving mechanisms operating to vdrive the material at agreater speed when unopposed by preceding material under the con` trolof the first mentioned driving mechanism.

In Witness whereof, l have hereunto set my hand atv Rattle Creek,Michigan. this 3rd day of October, A. D. one thousand nine hundred andthirteen.

0. M. FOWLER, E. NICHOLSON.

